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A Bold Plan to Rewild the Earth — at Massive Scale | Kristine McDivitt Tompkins | TED

The first step to saving nature is the rewilding of our own minds, says conservationist and former Patagonia CEO Kristine McDivitt Tompkins. With an unwavering commitment to protecting ecosystems, she and her late husband Douglas Tompkins created vast conservation parks across South America that allowed ancient flora and fauna to flourish once again. Now, she’s…

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The first step to saving nature is the rewilding of our own minds, says conservationist and former Patagonia CEO Kristine McDivitt Tompkins. With an unwavering commitment to protecting ecosystems, she and her late husband Douglas Tompkins created vast conservation parks across South America that allowed ancient flora and fauna to flourish once again. Now, she’s carrying that legacy and mission forward with a bold plan to connect parks across geographic boundaries, creating a system of continental-scale wildlife corridors — before it’s too late. (Recorded at TED2024 on April 16, 2024)

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81 Comments

81 Comments

  1. @mr.c2485

    September 30, 2024 at 7:50 am

    Someone say….”pipe dream”…..

  2. @zapbutton8553

    September 30, 2024 at 7:55 am

    What’s with the broker spam in the comments?

    • @ZhangWei02

      September 30, 2024 at 8:10 am

      Agreed, wtf? I reported it.

    • @sparkysmalarkey

      September 30, 2024 at 6:06 pm

      Suckerfishing.

  3. @StigHelmer

    September 30, 2024 at 7:56 am

    Small minds will only think in short terms. A problem with people like the woman is that they think this is the end state of the Earth and it’s humans responsibility to “correct things”. The human existence has no effect the world in a grand view and in a million year when there are no humans alive the Earth will continue to exist without us.

  4. @davaguco

    September 30, 2024 at 8:03 am

    One of the best TED videos I have seen. I wish more people would join her.

  5. @tride.design

    September 30, 2024 at 8:21 am

    Thank you Madam

  6. @bucketsbucket1593

    September 30, 2024 at 8:23 am

    So you jetted around the world telling everyone they are destroying the world. Got it!

    • @prajwalshetty9809

      September 30, 2024 at 11:14 am

      After donating entire national parks. Heard of math?

    • @bucketsbucket1593

      September 30, 2024 at 11:32 am

      @@prajwalshetty9809 how does a person own entire national parks ffs

    • @bucketsbucket1593

      September 30, 2024 at 11:35 am

      @@prajwalshetty9809 let’s do some math then. How do we feed the planet if it is rewilded (whatever that’s supposed to mean)?

  7. @hcdx

    September 30, 2024 at 8:33 am

    Wow, i see TED in my natural language, thanks TED

  8. @MsTosha1111

    September 30, 2024 at 8:54 am

    Beautiful ❤️❤️

  9. @noname-pb9vj

    September 30, 2024 at 9:35 am

    Anything is possible with money.

  10. @prajwalshetty9809

    September 30, 2024 at 11:15 am

    This is the dream! But clearly I have to be a successful Co founder or CEO first.

  11. @tengotnco5942

    September 30, 2024 at 11:44 am

    CEO of the earth, the model of a corporation with human and natural purpose❤🎉

  12. @TheMrmoc7

    September 30, 2024 at 11:47 am

    I saw a big terrifying spider in my pool the other day and I allowed to live (I helped it out of the pool). This is my contribution to saving the planet.

    • @tinoyb9294

      September 30, 2024 at 5:40 pm

      More than most people do.

  13. @Jagmohan-ip1ou

    September 30, 2024 at 11:51 am

    great work ma’am❤❤🙌🙌, i believe that this would inspire many others to contribute in the recovery of nature . I request everyone reading the comments to contribute as much as possible . We all love nature and wants to live a peaceful life ❤

  14. @Billchu13

    September 30, 2024 at 11:54 am

    Decimation would mean only 10%- how much natural land has been developed in the last 2 centuries?

  15. @robertbaindourov134

    September 30, 2024 at 12:40 pm

    She’s an extinctionist. Dangerous thinking.

    • @Gloriajeanne33

      September 30, 2024 at 5:24 pm

      hahahahaha..

  16. @andycordy5190

    September 30, 2024 at 1:48 pm

    I so love what has been achieved here but sparsely populated lands are not where the problem lies. Our sprawling cities and their monstrous suburbs are what is killing our planet. Let’s tell it like it is a put the blame where it belongs, that is with human ambition and population growth.

  17. @csten133

    September 30, 2024 at 1:50 pm

    👌🌱🐌🌴✨

  18. @TioDave

    September 30, 2024 at 2:48 pm

    I think the main issue is centralized purveyors of information. They act as sort of gate keepers to information people need to hear to reach the point of understanding. They might not realize it, but they are controlling the narrative in a non productive fashion. Once conversation about such topics are normalized in regular conversation, then the problem will be solved.

  19. @TomNov77

    September 30, 2024 at 3:54 pm

    Fantastic work and yes we need large and small scale rewilding, reconnecting people with nature and protect it. Im planning to create small wildlife sanctuary myself once I get enough funds 💚🌳🦋🐝🪲

  20. @greensky01

    September 30, 2024 at 4:45 pm

    Dear TED, is “rewild” even a word?!

  21. @Gloriajeanne33

    September 30, 2024 at 5:37 pm

    Im All for this. The restoration of planet Earths nature ecosystem of flora & fauna. The expansion of native wildlifd parks in every country and the growth of technology and new ways to house people can work hand in hand. Immense gratitude to giants like these who have achieved this feat. They should both be household names in every family, yet l have never heard of them before. l hope l live to see the day this is happening in Australia and New Zealand .. everywhere.

  22. @debbiewall2160

    September 30, 2024 at 6:07 pm

    Since we’ve put a man on the moon, the human population has more than doubled while that of the wild animals has more than halved. The survivors need full protection and deserve to live and raise their families in peace. And for us humans? Less breedin’. Live vegan!

  23. @jimfromburbankca5253

    September 30, 2024 at 7:56 pm

    This woman is not a credentialed biologist or scientist. She is a housewife whose husband did well in business. Her opinion means nothing to me.

  24. @orokusaki1243

    September 30, 2024 at 9:21 pm

    As a fauna, myself, I agree in expansion of territories that support an ecosystem that I can thrive in.

    Have we “conquered” the wilds? Or have we doomed them?

    As humans, we do create a lot of waste, and we exploit our environment to dangerous levels. Make it economically beneficial, and everyone will jump on board – as we’ve seen with industrialization, and we could also see with conservation.

    Else, really the only species we need to hang onto are the ones we consume (plant, animal, & fungi), and those who play roles in our human agriculture (pollinators, pest control, aerators, & organic matter).

    We have the technology and ideas to be more symbiotic with nature, and less parasitic.

  25. @orokusaki1243

    September 30, 2024 at 9:53 pm

    Pangaea Ultima – none of this will matter in ~250 million years, as the tectonics will wipe and shift the surfaces and seas, forcing evolution and extinction upon the new face of Earth.

    If we want to enjoy what we’ve got, while we’re still here, it’d be good to consider conservation.

  26. @taracmonroe

    September 30, 2024 at 10:14 pm

    A future with wildness, abundance and dignified human communities is a beautiful and necessary vision. Brilliant TED Talk. Thank you.

  27. @troypropes1182

    September 30, 2024 at 10:20 pm

    We must do this and learn to live in balance with the nature we protect.

  28. @A.shk9

    October 1, 2024 at 1:32 am

    Thank you Kristine

  29. @policeman1104

    October 1, 2024 at 1:48 am

    What an inspiring talk. Thank you!

  30. @Letthereblightt

    October 1, 2024 at 6:12 am

    Fantastic work, I salute you and your spirit

  31. @afrcic

    October 1, 2024 at 8:15 am

    thank you

  32. @jackstone4291

    October 1, 2024 at 8:40 am

    This woman and her husband bought over 2 million hectares to protect the habitat. Seascapes too. Absolutely amazing

  33. @jackstone4291

    October 1, 2024 at 8:50 am

    Not cried for years but that made me cry joy and sadness and hope and positivity and helplessness and everything

  34. @timeenoughforart

    October 1, 2024 at 12:53 pm

    2 million acres down, 126 billion to go.

    • @onfungi8815

      October 1, 2024 at 2:47 pm

      That’s it. Thank you. If we can do 2% a year. The earth will return in a mere 50 years. By example, it’s taken 50 years: but in north eastern Canada tens of thousands of lakes once “dead” from acid rain are now back to normal. Only 2% are still dead. 40% are still recovering. But 60% are now returned. Act!

    • @timeenoughforart

      October 1, 2024 at 5:11 pm

      @@onfungi8815 Not quite. Two million down, 126 BILLION. That equals .002% or 50,000 years.

    • @onfungi8815

      October 2, 2024 at 10:37 am

      @@timeenoughforart well, none of those numbers is actually correct. But dammit.

  35. @the-crypt.eth-

    October 1, 2024 at 3:01 pm

    Comment to promote 🙂

  36. @YuvrajAtwal-b5o

    October 1, 2024 at 5:25 pm

    REWILDING IS THE ANSWER! But what about socio-economics and politics of land-use such as agriculture? Agriculture used both for crop cultivation and livestock production is humanity’s biggest land-use covering 44% of the world’s landmass as it is and has been the leading and root cause of habitat loss. People throughout most of history have been converting vast tracts wild habitats into agricultural fields which can also be seen on satellite imagery Google Earth!

    • @marr123n

      October 3, 2024 at 4:09 am

      I think the first major step is more plant based meals and better meat alternatives. Of the 44% agricultural lands, about 80% is used for animal agriculture. crops for human consumption are not the main problem, animal agriculture and crop cultivation for animal fodder are the elephant in the agricultural room. Now, there are a lot of alternatives for meat and dairy in the making but many are bombarded with policy that hamper their industries, policy that is made up under pressure of the agrculture lobby. What we need is regenerative agriculture and meat that comes from rewilding projects such as Knepp or from lab grown projects.

  37. @YuvrajAtwal-b5o

    October 1, 2024 at 5:35 pm

    I don’t want to say this and I hate saying its something we have been doing and we still do it and that is AGRICULTURE. For the natural habitats its been the world’s biggest leading cause of land-use and habitat loss!

    • @canadiangemstones7636

      October 1, 2024 at 9:13 pm

      Do your bit: stop eating!

    • @lovedbythestars9609

      October 2, 2024 at 9:18 am

      At least try meatless meals, once a week maybe? That would help slow down clear-cutting for pasture. But I hear you, those poor plants. I’m forever apologizing to lettuce.​@@canadiangemstones7636

    • @MrNick3742

      October 2, 2024 at 4:42 pm

      @@canadiangemstones7636 Just stop eating animals and their fluids. A plant based agricultural system would use 80% less land than our current one.

    • @marr123n

      October 3, 2024 at 4:10 am

      it is important to differentiate between crop and animal agriculture. Crop cultivation for human consumption is not the main problem.

    • @colinderksen1878

      October 3, 2024 at 12:14 pm

      The interesting thing about this is that when humans first started growing crops, it actually led to an increase in biodiversity, as they practiced crop rotation and grew a variety of plants. In some cases, and disturbing the soil can be beneficial for many groups of plants. Modern practices like growing monocultures and using pesticides, among other methods, are indeed very harmful to the earth.

  38. @felipericketts

    October 1, 2024 at 8:12 pm

    It will happen! We will make it work. 🙂

  39. @ElvisLucas-w6w

    October 1, 2024 at 8:15 pm

    *I’m overjoyed and grateful to see God’s blessings and abundance manifest in my family’s life. We’re thriving and happy once again, and I can now provide for my loved ones even in retirement, thanks to a remarkable weekly income of $67,000. It’s a game-changer after* *facing many challenges*.

    • @ElvisLucas-w6w

      October 1, 2024 at 8:15 pm

      Only God knows how much grateful i am. After so much struggles I now own a new house and my family is happy once again everything is finally falling into place!!

    • @ElvisLucas-w6w

      October 1, 2024 at 8:16 pm

      Thanks to my co-worker (Scott) who suggested Mrs Maria Angelina🙏.

    • @ElvisLucas-w6w

      October 1, 2024 at 8:17 pm

      She’s a licensed broker in the states 🇺🇸

    • @ElvisLucas-w6w

      October 1, 2024 at 8:17 pm

      After I raised up to 325k trading with her I bought a new House and a car here in the states 🇺🇸🇺🇸 also paid for my son’s surgery (Oscar). Glory to God.shalom.

    • @ElvisLucas-w6w

      October 1, 2024 at 8:21 pm

      There is her line!!!! under this comment!!!!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
      combine the DIGITS 🔁

  40. @ariadgaia5932

    October 2, 2024 at 8:23 am

    I know that no human is perfect… I’ve heard Patagonia has done a good amount of destruction in other countries…. But…. at least they are trying to make things right in some places. We need more rich people to care about the Earth at least as much as these guys do.

  41. @mehrdat

    October 2, 2024 at 9:34 am

    Excelent! We will do our best to get there Kristine! You are wonderful!

  42. @zeph6439

    October 2, 2024 at 10:45 am

    Surely to re-establish biodiversity, then an essential step in that process must be to actively remove any and all alien invader species? Thank you for the great video and for what you do for Mother Nature.

    • @Rodrigo_Vega

      October 2, 2024 at 11:22 pm

      In some cases; absolutely. And theres _many_ of them. Many settlers considered the Patagonia to be too “Empty” for their taste and landowners, some that owned massive expanses of undeveloped land, thought it would be fun to have the classic Eurasian species to hunt themselves and also to some money on the side. Today our South is choke-full of red deer, wild boar, European rabbits, trouts, even beavers. All hugely successful at the expense of native species and mostly lacking natural predators. They are also quite hard to cull, due to the remote nature of some of these environments. There’s some arguments to be made that some non-native species might fill ecological niches of species long ago lost with the first human arrivals… but mostly it kinda-suck. I guess more research and a whole lotta management still needs to be done.

    • @zeph6439

      October 3, 2024 at 2:00 am

      @@Rodrigo_Vega It sounds very similar to …well, just about everywhere you look nowadays. Ironically, in fly fishing circles, (as fly fisher people are ardent conservationists) Patagonia is now the “go-to” venue for brown and rainbow trout, which grow to impressive sizes in as they have an advantage, being specialized predators in an ecosystem where they don’t belong and have the advantage, clearly dominating at the expense of native species. It’s the same here in South Africa and elsewhere in Africa – over here, we have mainly bass, carp and trout to blame. These were introduced as sporting fishes back when and have been very successful in decimating indigenous biodiversity over the years. My aim is to take out as many as I can, however, fishermen keep on distributing them for fishing purposes and insist on catching and releasing the exotics with the utmost care. My puny efforts with a rod and reel only go so far. I am hoping that other anglers will join in – if everyone just removed a few every year, there would be less of a problem.
      And I agree. There clearly needs to be some kind of action from the authorities to help with reducing the numbers of alien species if we are to give the native species half a chance at survival – in the meantime aside from really getting into my fishing, let’s carry on at least creating awareness around the issue. Cheers

    • @musictech85

      October 3, 2024 at 9:58 am

      Read “The New Wild” by Fred Pearce

  43. @BryceGarling

    October 2, 2024 at 12:25 pm

    Always cloud talk for glory and never teaching the individual. Keep up the good work but surely others want to know how too.

  44. @MrNick3742

    October 2, 2024 at 4:45 pm

    The secret that no one seems to want to focus on is that our habits are the only thing stopping massive rewilding worldwide. Namely, animal consumption is the overwhelming reason ecosystems are and continue to be degraded. Animal agriculture uses 83% of farmland… over 80% of the land we occupy as a species. It’s why apex predators are still targets, it’s why the planet is warming, it’s why species are going extinct 1,000 times faster than they did before the Industrial Revolution. If we commit to the Plant Based Treaty and boycott animal agriculture in large numbers, we might achieve a livable future for ourselves and the other inhabitants of our planet. If we don’t, we will all go extinct.

  45. @MaryKateFrank

    October 2, 2024 at 5:28 pm

    Thank you. ❤❤❤

  46. @deepashtray5605

    October 2, 2024 at 6:52 pm

    The only way to make it work is to figure out how to make it insanely profitable like oil extraction, mining, corporate farming, mass production and all the other capitalistic ventures that originally created the problem in the first place. Basically that’s how civilization has always worked. Just letting all that land sit there unexploited when there’s money to be made at nature’s expense is at best temporary, especially when hundreds of millions of people are going to be displaced and unemployed by environmental degradation and climate collapse.

  47. @rayrocher6887

    October 2, 2024 at 7:13 pm

    Thanks for trying to save the world, I like forests and wildlife to amen

  48. @rayrocher6887

    October 2, 2024 at 7:15 pm

    Truthful, thanks for saving the wildlife sanctuary amen, you are wonderful great teacher amen

  49. @SorenAlba54

    October 2, 2024 at 10:46 pm

    The Tompkins are legends in the field of rewilding that their influence had spread from here to Australia and that is outstanding. My father gifted me a North Face backpack ages ago, only to later realize that her late husband was the founder of it. With that in mind, I’m glad to carry that piece of his legacy and seeing the results of their work ever since I heard about Iberá National Park. May their names be remembered for all eternity.

  50. @TrPg

    October 3, 2024 at 7:07 am

    And stop consuming animal products

  51. @GSBMxyz

    October 3, 2024 at 7:20 am

    I am lucky to live close to one of the National Parks ( Tompkins Pumalin) that Kristine and Douglas created . When I visited Pumalin 18 years ago it was such an inspiration for the conservation work I have done ever since. I wish more ( wealthy) entrepreneurs did the same thing and so make the world a livable place for many generations to come. Thank you Kristine for your persistence because I know it was a difficult road, especially in Pumalin, Chile. I hope one day you can see the 200 Alerce trees that we planted 17 years ago from the Vodudahue nursery and 44.000 other native trees from the Valdivian forest.

  52. @anecomindedchildhood

    October 3, 2024 at 12:44 pm

    Such an inspiring talk❤❤❤

  53. @jeffkiesner9971

    October 3, 2024 at 6:40 pm

  54. @kaylorado

    October 3, 2024 at 7:46 pm

    Wonderful Ted talk

  55. @TheSkystrider

    October 3, 2024 at 9:27 pm

    I fully support rewilding but hpw on earth did this ted talk help that?

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